Crimson and Ivory Memories
by Ms.Redrum
Summary: Canada is having nightmares so realistic that he can no longer sleep unless he collapses in exhaustion, Alfred like the hero he is wants to help out so decides to take Mattie's bag with him to take notes, what he and the others find might just lead to some startling and horrific truths about a blank spot in all of their memory's.Pairings everywhere! mainly AmeriCan.A Hetaoni Story


**This is a Hetaoni-ish story; I just had this idea one morning so I decided to write it down before it ran from me. It's mainly sad-ish and emotional… a little romance and some humor because I didn't want it to go all emo… anyway remember to read and review please.**

**_ Warning_: I haven't seen all of Hetaoni so well I kinda made things up here and there and this is like a; what happened after the mansion kind of story. (Was there an end to that… I can't even remember whatever it doesn't matter for this story.)**

**Canada is having nightmares so realistic that he can no longer sleep unless he collapses in exhaustion, Alfred like the hero he is wants to help out so decides to take Mattie's bag with him to take notes… what he and the others find might just lead to some startling and horrific truths about a blank spot in all of their memory's.**

* * *

_**No Matter What You Do You Can Never Really Forget Something Once You've Experienced It, You Can Never Really Forget Something Even If It Is Ripped From Your Mind Or Locked Away Because It's Too Traumatic For Your Mind To Handle.**_

* * *

"Sorry I'm late dudes!" America shouted bursting into the room his bomber jacket that he usually wore proudly was hanging off his arm while he wrestled with his briefcase and a red backpack with a maple leaf decal on his shoulder looking like he hadn't slept at all that night. The nations watched curiously while he dumped everything down on the table before flopping down in his chair.

"Where is notre cher Matthieu this morning Alfred?" France asked eyeing the empty chair between Arthur and Alfred.

"Sleeping, he couldn't sleep last night he's been having nightmares or something so when he finally fell asleep I just left him with Kumajiro watching him, but I brought the bag he usually brings down here with him so I could take his notes, he is totally going to be surprised!" He said starting to ruffle through the red bag on the table.

"Nightmares?" Arthur and China asked in unison as America gave up digging in the bag for Matthew's notebook and started to just dump out its contents.

"Yeah it was weird he wouldn't tell me what it was about but I got the feeling that it was pretty bad so I stayed up with him… cool what's this?" He asked when a small cassette tape fell out on to the white table. England, France and the others leaned in closer.

"What is it?" France asked.

"It looks like one of those things Mattie has in that box in his closet I listened to one once, turns out he likes to keep records of what he dreams about…OH!" He suddenly started to dig through the bag again before he pulled out the recording device with a triumphant grin.

"Alfred have some respect that's your brothers private thoughts." Arthur said with a frown next to him even as his mind was flowing with curiosity.

"It's cool Iggy, I'm sure he won't mind and besides it'll help me get to the bottom of what's wrong that way I can be the hero."

"Are the nightmares that bad that you would go through his stuff?" Germany asked, he too was curious but not enough to agree to Alfred's plan to go through his brother's stuff. Alfred paused his shoving of the cassette tape to look at Germany seriously.

"He woke up screaming that he didn't want to die." He said with a dark look before continuing to shove the tape in the player leaving a shocked look on everyone's face.

"There we go." Clicking the tape into place he hit play.

* * *

"_So I had that nightmare again… it's been happening for months now the same ones over and over, they start out the same, me and some others go into this old abandoned house… and in it…" *The sound of Matthew taking a deep breath.* "In it w-we d-die… all of us over and over it happens differently every time, this last one was the same one I had when they first started though… I'm sitting at a piano with Arthur; he says he wants to check out the room next door so I tell him to go…" _

_*Another deep breath before he continues* "He leaves me alone in this room for a while and during that time I thought of something to get us out of this house… behind me I hear something." *this time the breathing is shuddering like the person was trying to hold back tears.* "I-I thought it was England I really did... So I started to talk to him about my discovery, I didn't realize that it was That Thing… oh god… I didn't realize… not till It was too late then I… all I could do was hope I was invisible like I usually am with the other nations… all I kept thinking was if I don't move it won't notice I'm here right? It'll think I'm the piano or something… sounds stupid right?… it was working though… then something happened and I was… I was… l-looking down at a c-claw t-through m-my c-chest." _

_*Sniffling and a small hiccup interrupted the nightmarish tale* "I-I didn't even have time to really think about anything… but I somehow m-managed to write down…s-something… on the white piano… the last thing I saw was that p-piano covered in r-red…blood … m-my blood… I heard Arthur calling me from far away before … before everything goes black… and to think this all started because I cut myself cleaning the piano…" *A small sad laugh* "Woke up on the floor under my bed… I thought about calling Alfred but then decided against it… it was just a bad dream no matter how real it seemed."_

* * *

*Click*

Everyone stared at the tape recorder on the table, no one noticed Italy looking slightly green or japan trying to rub away the pain that started behind his left eye.

"W-what the bloody hell was that?" Arthur said the thought that he watched Matthew die was not one he wanted to have yet he couldn't stop the feeling of déjà vu.

"I don't know, but from the sound of it he is terrified."

"Are there anymore?" Italy asked. Alfred stuck his hand back in the red bag and dug around frowning when his hand wrapped around another one.

"Yeah there's a couple in here."

"Will you play them?" Japan asked looking almost afraid.

"I…yes… this is to help Mattie, I'll do anything to help Mattie." Alfred said replacing the tape and putting the machine back on the table

The nations listened closely as it started playing.

* * *

"_I can't sleep anymore." * A desperate sounding Matthew started* "Last night I woke up in my fucking closet!"_

The nations around the table were shocked by Matthew's outburst.

"_The nightmares are like a plague they won't stop… it's driving me crazy… last night was bad… I was with Alfred and Ivan… standing in a room waiting for the others to come back… I think they were exploring… or were we looking for someone?... I-I can't remember… anyway Alfred and Ivan were arguing over something stupid like usual… when the lights flickered and standing there was… I-it looked like a huge version of Alfred's alien friend Tony on steroids I swear… It didn't waste any time standing there before it was charging at us… A-Alfred that adorable idiot actually pulled out a gun… he fire a whole clip into the friggen thing… nothing… it didn't even have a scratch on it but man was it pissed." *Matthew pauses and the sound of clinking metal could be heard.*_

"Must be making breakfast…wait did he just call me/America adorable?!" Alfred and half the room thought.

"_We ran for it, made it to what must have been a dining room before it cornered us… Ivan tried to attack it with his pipe… but that Thing threw him across the room… I don't know why he did it but A-Alfred ran up and punched it, PUNCHED IT! Can you believe that stupidity, eh?" *a small laugh* "Yeah ok I can, but that's not the point the point is it didn't work… I couldn't do anything as it swept Alfred aside like a bothersome bug… My heart stopped in my chest when the thing walked over to him and raised his clawed hand." _

_*Sizzling of bacon could be heard and a quiet voice asking for pancakes before being told to "wait and quit trying to eat my shoes" before he started again* "My heart felt frozen and before I knew it… I was standing in front of Alfred and there was pain in my chest… Alfred… he was screaming my name…he caught me when I fell… crying… he was crying and I felt horrible for making him cry… I think I even said sorry but I'm not sure, I do remember telling him it would be alright and hoping that the monster was gone…but the blood… so much and all of it mine… I knew… I knew I wasn't going to be fine… I think Alfred did to because he just started crying harder… and me like an idiot I apologized again." _

_*The sound of angry muttering before "Hush Kuma you can have seconds after you finish the first plate not at the same time." The sound of the recorder being picked up and moved to another room* "W-when I woke up my chest hurt like in the dream…when I went to the bathroom mirror I had s-scratches down my chest in the s-same spot as the c-claw marks in my d-dream… I-I think I'm going insane because I started screaming… Kuma smashed down the bathroom door roaring…it snapped me out of whatever mental breakdown I was having only for me to collapse on the floor… I was on the floor for hours because the next thing I remember was Kuma asking for breakfast back to his normal height and that takes at least 3 hours to do." _

_*The sound of a washing machine and a muttered "Why is Germany's underwear here…oh yeah…Prussia's underwear party." Before Matthew started to talk again* "I tried to talk to Alfred about it but he doesn't remember any house… I know he would lie to keep me smiling but he wasn't lying… so that means it's just a dream like I thought… right?" *Matthew sounding like he was trying to convince himself turned the recorder off.*_

* * *

*Click*

"…"

"T-there's another one…" Arthur said pointing to the last tape on the table.

"Should we listen to it though?" Spain asked.

"Shut up bastard… Matteo sounds like it's driving his crazy we can't just let him suffer and we can't help if we don't know what's going on" Romano muttered startling everyone with his kindness.

"Then it's agreed?" England asked looking around at the nations nodding.

* * *

"_I wasn't even home this time… I was out looking for Kuma in the woods behind my house." *Matthew said sounding tired and scared.* "I guess lack of sleep is getting to me because I just collapsed in the snow…my dream… it has to be the most frightening one so far… I can't even have the lights in my own house off because when I tried that I started to panic and Kuma had to turn them on because I couldn't move." * a pause, a deep shuddering breath*_

"_I was walking down the halls of that house alone… I was looking for Kuma because he wasn't with me and I was worried… he's like family to me, I think I got lost because I didn't know where I was and there was a small window in front of me that I hadn't seen before… I should have figured it was a trap but I was just worried about kuma… when I looked through the window I saw Kuma on the other side in a small room but one I recognized…it didn't once occur to me that a window looking into another room was strange." _

_*A humorless laugh followed by "I'm alright Kuma you can stop watching me like I might disappear if you blink."* "I just started walking back the way I came but like I said… I got lost…I didn't know how to get back to the others… I walked into a dead end…with nowhere to go that's when… when he appeared… and the power went out…I did the only thing I could… I ran… I had a bow with me but in the dark it would have been pretty useless… I ran and ran with no idea where I was going just hoping I could get as far away from it as I could… I could hear it's footsteps behind me in the dark… my heart was racing and my mind started to cloud with fear till I could barely think straight… it didn't matter though…nothing did because I was an idiot… I ran into a room without realizing… with no other way out I had trapped myself… I heard it breathing behind me… and I knew that nothing I could do would save me… but I didn't want to die without doing something so I took my arrows and my bow and I notched one took aim in the direction I heard the breathing and let the arrow loose… I hit it… the monster howled and before I could move, think, breath I was smashed back into the wall… a rib pierced my lung… I can still feel the phantom pain from my dream… the knowledge of knowing that in that house I was h-human and I was going to d-die painfully bleeding and coughing up b-blood... alone… and my last thought… I wish I had told Alfred I loved him...how cliché is that?" _

_*a pause more arguing with the small polar bear* "Kuma hasn't let me near a door or window let alone leave the house at all since he found me in the snow two days ago… I don't know what scared me more the nightmare or waking up to a full grown roaring polar bear standing above me…I… I think I am going to talk to the other nations about this and see if anyone remembers… because they can't be dreams… I know they can't and it scares me…"_

* * *

*Click*

The room was silent no one made a move, they all just sat there and stared at the recording device like it had just opened up a portal to hell. Then suddenly Italy jumped up startling everyone.

"Italy?" Germany said questioningly.

"I'm sorry… I should have said something but I didn't think anyone would ever remember."

"What are you talking about?" Germany asked. Alfred on the other hand for once understood immediately.

"Oh god you don't mean… that was all true…" Alfred said looking horrified.

"I-I am afraid Italy-san is telling the truth." Japan said holding his head and Greece rubbed his back.

"What are you people talking about?" France asked.

"The things Mattie was dreaming about…"

"Are real? No they can't be that's-" England objection was cut off by America's phone playing the Canadian anthem. He practically ripped it from his pocket.

"Hello…Are you serious…Alright little dude keep an eye on him I'll be right there." Standing from the table he didn't bother to grab anything before running out the door. Italy, Germany, Japan, England and France all following.

"Alfred what's going on?" France asked.

"It's Mattie he had another nightmare."

"And he called you?" Germany asked.

"No his bear did."

"…His bear called you?" Germany asked skeptically.

"The thing can talk is it that hard to believe it can use a phone?" Alfred growled getting into the elevator with the others.

"Not at all." England cut in not wanting a fight to start between the two.

"Sorry if I offended you it's just that I have never heard of it doing that." Germany said quickly.

"Ve~ I'm sorry." Italy whispered clinging to Germany's arm.

"It's ok dude, no reason for you to be sorry." He said rushing from the elevator when the doors opened. When he reached his shared room with Matthew he didn't bother using a key seeing as he left the room unlocked just in case he needed to rush back here.

Looking around he saw Kumajiro scratching at the bathroom door.

"Kuma-dude what's going on I thought you said he was sitting on the bed screaming?"

"He locked himself inhere." He said scratching at the door again. The others stayed by the door when Alfred walked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Mattie you alright in there?" Silence answered him.

"Mattie bro can you unlock the door?" He asked after trying the knob.

…

….

When no reply was received he did the only thing he could think of.

"Alfred what are you doing?" England asked, not expecting a reply and not receiving one.

"Alright Matt I'm breaking the door down." And with only that warning Alfred grabbed the knob and pulled ripping the door; hinges and all, from the wall before propping it to the side. Inside he was startled to see Matthew just sitting there on the bathroom floor staring blankly at the wall. Kneeling down next to him he wrapped his arms around him.

"Matthew?" This seemed to get his brothers attention as the blond started from his trance like state.

"A-Alf-fred?" Matthew stuttered reaching up and gripping Alfred's arm with all his strength. (and seeing as he is the second largest nations it's going to leave a bruise.)

"It's ok Matthew I'm here now it's gonna be alright no scary monsters are going to get you."

"H-he didn't get me…H-he g-got y-you!" Matthew broke down sobbing.

"M-Matthew it's alright." Alfred said rubbing his back.

"No it's not I love you I don't want you to die!" Alfred paused in his rubbing of Canada's back.

"_Love me?"_ His mind went back to the tape.

"_and my last thought… I wish I had told Alfred I loved him...how cliché is that?" _

"Mattie shh I'm right here and I'm not going to die you know why?"

"W-why because you're the hero?"

"Because I love you."

"…"

"I-it's alright if you don't like me like that back it's just-" Matthew's hand silenced his nervous rambling.

"…That's what you said right before dying in my arms." Matthew whispered burying his face into Alfred's chest.

"And it's the truth, I love you Matthew, everything's going to be alright." Alfred whispered.

"U-Umm Matteo… I-I want to tell you that you're not going crazy." Italy said from the bathroom door.

"W-what?" Matthew asked Looking up at Italy with red puffy eyes.

"The things that you dreamed about… really happened…" The look on Matthews face made Italy pause, Matthew looked like he was about to pass out.

"All. Of. It. Real… the deaths… the blood… the monster… All real?"

"B-but Mattie look no one's dead and there's no more monster so it's ok." Alfred said hurriedly not wanting him to pass out or cry again.

"C-can we just talk about this tomorrow… I'm tired and I just want some sleep... I d-don't think I could h-handle this t-tonight" Matthew said looking down at the floor.

"We understand." Italy said grabbing Germany and walking from the room.

"Are you sure mon cher?"

"Yeah… I don't think I could handle it tonight and I'm just really tired."

"I understand, come along frog." England said grabbing France's hand and marching from the room.

"Ohonhon Holding my hand, that's new Arthur~"

"Shut up… Goodnight boys." He said shutting the door.

After they had kicked everyone out of the room the two blond nations were laying down on Matthews bed; Alfred's being covered in comic books and clothes from his all-nighter looking after Matthew before rushing off to the meeting.

"Hey Matt?"

"Yeah Al?"

"Will you tell me about this last dream?"

"…Do you really want to hear about your own death?"

"I hear talking about bad dreams helps people feel better so I don't really mind."

"I-if you want me to…"

* * *

"_Run Mattie!" Alfred yelled running down the hall, he didn't want that thing killing the love of his life… not again… not ever again. Alfred remembered all the deaths the Canadian suffered, even the one all alone in the dark, the small bear had led them to the body. He would do whatever it took to keep Matthew alive._

_They ran through several more rooms before both realized that they had lost the other._

"_Oh god Mattie." Alfred said spinning around and rushing back through the rooms his heart pumping wildly in his chest._

"_Oh man Alfred." Matthew had just turned to rush back to look for him when the monster blocked the door to the plain white room._

"Not again please i-"

"_I don't want to die." He whimpered out loud finishing his thought. Backing up till his back hit the wall he had nowhere to run nowhere to hide, his knees gave out in fear and defeat. The creature smile and stood towering over him._

_As the creature struck; Alfred was suddenly blocking his vision, crimson exploded from his back and his eyes were wide in horror and relief._

"_A-Alf-fred?"_

"_Mattie you're alright… good I saved you…" He said collapsing to his knees smiling a small sad smile, Matthew supporting his upper-half._

"_W-why d-did y-you d-do that?!" Matthew choked out tears blurring his vision as he clutched on to Alfred._

"_Because… I…I lo-… I love you." He whispered closing his eyes. Taking his last breath he reached up and hugged Matthew before falling limp._

"Nononononononononono!" _Matthews mind screamed before he himself realized what had just happened._

"_ALFRED!" _

* * *

"I don't want you to die." Matthew whispered clutching on to Alfred again.

"I'm staying next to you alive and healthy till you get sick of me that's a promise." Alfred said dragging Matthew across the bed and holding him to his chest. His mind racing with what he had just been told.

"_I'd do anything for Matthew… even die for him." _He promised himself.

The next day every nation was seated around the table trying not to openly stare at Matthew, ether in horror of the tale he just told or in sympathy of the pain they could hear in his voice. When Matthew was done Italy stood from his chair; eyes sweeping across the room before he lowered his head.

"Like I said yesterday… it's true all of it… the house, the monster, the deaths." Tears trailed down his face to his chin.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Germany asked holding Italy's hand for once not caring that the others could see them.

"I… I just wanted to forget about it and I thought that if no one remembered then it would be mean to make them."

"But Matthew didn't remember until recently and the rest of us still don't remember anything, why?" England asked resting a comforting hand on France's thigh under the table, the usually flamboyant nation was depressed and wouldn't stop glancing at Matthew worriedly. The truth about Matthews ordeal had hit him hard.

"I remembered." Japan said from his seat looking sick and tired form lack of sleep.

"Y-you did?" Matthew asked.

"Yes last night… The piano… I remember… dying next to it." Japan chocked turning his face away from the others.

"A trigger."

"What?" China asked Germany for his outburst.

"We need a trigger to remember, something to remind us of an event that happened in the house… with Canada it was the blood on the piano… with Japan it was the same… but why didn't you need a trigger Italy?"

"I…I have a diary." He said looking away from everyone.

"Hey let's all agree on something." America suddenly started standing from his chair also. "From now on if any of us remembers anything call someone don't just hold it in, even if it's at a crazy hour alright?"

The other nations nodded their heads before Germany called the meeting over for the rest of the week.

* * *

Over the course of six months the other nations started to slowly remember their time in the mansion.

For Germany it was when he was building a small cabin, he had built the door a little too small making it a tight squeeze when he walked through, a memory sparked in him mind. When he woke up Italy was there cradling his head and muttering apologies. "Italy It's okay, you have no reason to apologize."

For China he was cleaning his house when he knocked over a clock, the sound echoed in his head and before he knew what happened he was waking up In Russia's arms, Russia was crying making the scream in Yao's throat die before it was born. "I thought you were never going to wake up, I don't want to be alone anymore." Russia cried.

For Russia It was finding China passed out on his living room floor when he didn't answer the door, rushing over he picked up the nation and started to carry him to his room. His body wouldn't let him put him down so he lay there with the unconscious nation hoping and waiting that he would wake up soon. Painful memories of watching him die flooding his mind.

For England and France it happened at the same time, England was cooking up a spell while France was cooking up dinner when and explosion drew his attention to the basement where Arthur was working. Rushing down the stairs Francis was next to Arthur in a second, the island nation staring straight ahead into space. "Arthur what happened what's wrong?" "F-Francis…" He started causing the nation to worry even more. "What is it Angleterre?" "I…I can't see."

For Prussia it was confusing, he didn't understand what was happening he wasn't at the meeting when they discovered the truth. He was at Austria's and for once he wasn't being a total ass of himself instead he was in the kitchen helping Austria and Hungary cook dinner, Chopping potatoes when the knife he was using suddenly snapped startling him, While Hungary ran over to him to make sure he was alright he stared blankly at the broken knife in his hand.

"Gilbert… Gil are you okay?" Austria asked waving his hand in front of his face to get his attention. Prussia looked at him with tears in his eyes before he suddenly screamed clutching at his head.

"Gilbert!" He called grabbing him when he started to collapse on the floor, Austria held him as he cried; muttering soothing words. Hungary called Germany.

To Think, All Of This Started With Crimson On Ivory Piano Key's.

* * *

**Remembering Something That Your Mind Has Hidden From You Can Either Be Painful Or Freeing Depending On What It Is You Have Forgotten, You Can Either Go Crazy Or Accept It…One Way Or The Other The Choice Is Yours.**

* * *

**Woooo Done, pumped this thing out in less than 24 hours and quite proud if I do say so myself… lol a lot of sh't is probably wrong or backwards but whatever… also I'm pretty sure I made some stuff up too… sooo tell me what you thought. **

**You also probably noticed I didn't add a Spain/Romano moment at the end… that's cause like I said at the top I didn't really watch the last few videos with them in it, it was getting too depressing and I was super tired from having been up for 3 day's straight so yeeaahh.**

**Any questions just ask them and I'll answer. Also please tell me if i made a mistake somewhere i hate rereading my stories months later and discovering a horribly obvious mistake.**

**Till next time ladies and gentlemen I bid you adieu. **


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